Abdullah Advises MTUC To Resolve Wage Issue Through Negotiation

He said employers were now concerned about the high cost of manpower and could
use that excuse to relocate their business to other countries.
<p>&quot;Investors intending to come to Malaysia may think twice about the cost
of manpower (if that cost is high in Malaysia),&quot; he told Malaysian journalists
accompanying him on his visit to Italy.</p>
<p>Abdullah has been here since Sunday for a three-day official visit to Italy
to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in trade and agriculture.</p>
<p>The prime minister was asked to comment on the demand by the MTUC for the government
to set a minimum wage of RM900 and a cost-of-living allowance of RM300 for private
sector employees.</p>
<p>The MTUC staged a nationwide picket yesterday in support of its demand after
giving the government one week to respond to a memorandum it had submitted to
the Prime Minister’s Office (on June 18) seeking an amendment to the Employment
Act 1955 to set the minimum wage and higher allowance.</p>
<p>More than 1,000 private sector employees picketed for about an hour from 5
pm near the Employees Provident Fund building in Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur.
Similar pickets were also held in several states including Selangor, Penang,
Perak, Melaka, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak.</p>
<p>Abdullah said the wages of foreign workers was a factor that had to be considered
in the MTUC demand.</p>
<p>&quot;Will the decision encompass the wages of foreign workers or are the foreign
workers prepared to accept the current wages without any increase?&quot; he
asked. If the foreign workers were prepared to accept the current wages without
any increase, there will be competition with Malaysian workers, he said.</p>
<p>Abdullah said he would ask Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan
Onn to provide him with a comprehensive report on the MTUC demand.</p>
<p>In SEREMBAN, Fong said it was improper of the MTUC to have staged the picket
because the ministry held dialogues with the congress at least once a month
to enable it to raise issues.</p>
<p>&quot;I have explained to the MTUC several times that the government is sensitive
to the need for workers to be paid reasonable and fair wages. The Wages Council
Act provides for the government to set up wages councils to study and determine
the wages and work conditions if it is found that workers in certain sectors
are not getting proper remuneration,&quot; he told reporters.</p>
<p>Earlier, he officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Seremban
office of the Social Security Organisation (Socso) in Jalan Sungai Ujong.</p>
<p>Fong said that over the last two years, the government had established seven
wages councils to determine fair wages for employees in certain sectors.</p>
<p>&quot;The government is serious and committed in looking after the welfare
of workers in the country. We are with the MTUC. We want workers to be paid
reasonable wages. We do not want even a single worker to be exploited. Therefore,
I ask the MTUC to negotiate in the matter.&quot;</p>
<p>– BERNAMA</p>
<p><i>Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=269634</i>